


Little Talks

by EarthboundJedi



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Sorry Not Sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-10 10:21:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14735132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EarthboundJedi/pseuds/EarthboundJedi
Summary: Some days I don't know if I am wrong or right...Your mind is playing tricks on you my dear.For the Tumblr Jlaire week mini event thing. Sort of for the prompt "Secrets", sort of a thing I hope to see in Season 3 (though it probably won't happen whatsoever...), mostly just an excuse to write some good ol'ANGST





	Little Talks

The first thing Jim noticed were the bags under his girlfriend’s eyes.

“Claire… you feeling okay? You look like you didn’t get any sleep.”

“I’m fine,” she replied, brushing him off, “Enrique was crying a lot last night, that’s all.”

Out of respect, he dropped the subject for the rest of the day. But he couldn’t help but notice Claire’s nervous tick, flinching more than usual at unexpected sounds and practically jumping at the sight of shadows.

_ She probably just had a lot of coffee so she could stay awake. Caffeine can really make a person jumpy, after all. _

A couple more days passed. Claire still looked sleep-deprived and was noticeably distracted during school, but he didn’t want to press her for an explanation unless she wanted to volunteer it; he knew Claire well enough at this point to know she would instantly bite his head off if he poked her when she got cranky. Valuing having his head attached to his shoulders, he silently kept a watchful eye on her.

When more bone-white streaks started appearing in her hair, he tried his best to comment on it nonchalantly when they met up at the diner after school.

“Oh hey, did you change your hair?”

“Oh, um, yeah. Just trying out a new style. You know, to change things up a bit.”

“Cool,” he replied, internally convincing himself to look like he outwardly believed her explanation, “I like it.”

“Really?” she frowned before taking a sip of the milkshake they were sharing. “Toby said it makes me look like a witch.”

“I mean, you  _ do _ sort of have magical powers. What with the Shadow Staff and all.” He took note of the brief panic he saw flash in her eyes before he continued. “But to be honest, I’d like your hair even if you chopped it all off and got a buzz cut.”

“You say that now, but what if I really  _ did  _ get a buzz cut?”

“I’d still be too crazy about the girl underneath to care.”

She smirked and nudged him with her elbow. “You’re such a sap. Don’t ever change.”

Jim felt his heart skip a beat when she rested her head on his shoulder. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” he smiled, becoming slightly intoxicated from the fruity smell of her shampoo.

_ Something _ about his girlfriend was changing, though; but at this point, he was still too afraid to ask. She was his Claire, and that was the important part. And when she was ready to bring it up, he’d be there for her.

Over the next few days, her appearance became even more haggard. She continued to act as if nothing was wrong, but her increased frequency in asking to copy Jim’s notes told him something was seriously amiss.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You hate looking at my notes, but this is the fifth time today you’ve asked for them.”

“I swear, I’m  _ fine _ ,” she replied curtly, keeping her eyes focused on the notebook in front of her. “Enrique is teething, so he’s crying, like, all the time.”

“You could sleep over at my place if you want. I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind letting you crash on the couch, once we explained the situation to her,” he quickly added, not wanting to give Claire the wrong impression.

“Thanks, but I don't want to impose. In a few days it should be better, anyway.”

Again, he dropped the issue. But he would definitely be checking in again after a few days, perhaps sooner - his worries regarding Claire's health were beginning to outweigh his desire to keep his head attached to his body.

That night, however, he was startled from sleep by the soft  _ whooshing _ of a portal opening, followed by the quiet creaking of the floorboards by his bedside. He groggily opened his eyes, sitting straight up in bed when he recognized the late night visitor.

“Claire?” he whispered, not wanting to wake his mom up in the adjacent room. His girlfriend was standing before him in her pajamas, her posture hunched over in fear and her face stained with tears. He swung his legs over the side of his bed, standing up when he saw her desperate expression. A darkness colored her eyes, muddying their beautiful brown hue.

“Hold me,” she choked before collapsing into his arms. Half-holding her up, he cradled the back of her head with one hand while the other rubbed small, soothing circles across her back. With her face buried against his chest, he could tell from her sharp, ragged breathing that she was silently sobbing.

There was no way her baby brother had anything to do with her current state.

Jim stood there holding her for a few minutes before gently leading her towards the bed, reasoning that the comfortable piece of furniture would be better suited to hold her weight than his arms. Pulling her into his lap as he sat down, she continued to cling to him while she cried into his t-shirt. He held her close and slowly ran his fingers through her hair, occasionally pressing a tentative kiss to the top of her head.

When it seemed like her crying had subsided a little, he asked, “Claire?”

“Mmm?” she sniffed.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She firmly shook her head. Silently, she slid from his lap and curled up on the edge of his bed, forcefully dragging Jim down to lay beside her. Pressing herself against him, she wrapped an arm around his waist and muttered against his chest, “Just… hold me. Please.”

“Sure, yeah, of course,” he murmured, gently stroking her back. “Whatever you need.”

He let his mind wander as he continued to soothe her, wondering what manner of secret she held that was causing her so much distress. Was it nightmares? Anxiety about their impending face-off with Gunmar? Or was it something else entirely?

Eventually he hoped she would tell him; for now he would keep attempting to comfort her. Slowly, so very slowly, Claire's breathing evened out, transitioning from shaky sobs to the deep breathing pattern that accompanies sleep. He felt a sudden wave of protectiveness course through him, holding her ever so slightly tighter while she slumbered. Praying that his mom wouldn't stumble in on them and jump to all sorts of outrageous conclusions (which, given how intimately tangled the two of them currently were, wouldn't be too far off the mark), he felt himself drift off to sleep alongside his girlfriend.

When he woke up in the morning before his alarm Claire was still nestled at his side, her curves pressing softly against him in ways that would have been extremely pleasing under different circumstances. But despite her slow, even breathing and the peaceful expression she wore, her face still bore the remnants of last night's tears. He was almost loathe to wake her up, but school would be starting soon and there was the increasing chance that his mom would walk in on them any minute now; she needed to get back to her own room ASAP.

“Claire,” he murmured, softly brushing some stray hairs from her cheek. “Time to wake up.”

He saw her eyebrows furrow as she made a cute little moaning sound.

“Seriously, if my mom finds you here she’ll kill me.”

“Fine, I'll get up,” she mumbled, slowly untangling her limbs from his, “but only because I like having you alive.”

“Oh gee, thanks.”

She smiled at him as she got up from the bed, looking the most rested he'd seen her in days.

He cleared his throat, his voice still scratchy from just waking up. “So, uh… are we gonna talk about this at all?”

She bit her lip, nervously looking down at the handle of her staff. “I… um… maybe later. But right now I really do need to get back to my house.” She turned around to open up a portal, throwing an apologetic glance over her shoulder. “I'll see you at school.”

“See you soon,” he waved as she exited through the portal. The rift in space closed behind her, just in time before his mom knocked on the door and peeked into his room.

“Jim, honey, who are you talking to?”

“Oh, no one, Mom! Just... psyching myself up for school! Giving myself the ol’ pep talk, you know? So I can start the day off right!”

“Aaalright then, kiddo. Whatever gets you going,” his mom considered him with one eyebrow raised. “If you really want to start the day off right, you'll get your butt downstairs for some breakfast. I made waffles, and I think they might actually be edible this time.”

“Sounds great, Mom, I'll be down in a second.” Jim let out a long breath after his mom closed the door. That had been close.

He fell backwards onto his pillow, already missing the warmth of the girl that had been beside him through the night. He smoothed his hand along the creases that marked where Claire had been lying, tracing the outline of the impression she'd left in the pillow. The sheets still smelled like her, too. Jim sighed and chewed on the inside of his cheek thoughtfully.

_ It's not that I mind the late-night company. Or the closeness. That was… pretty wonderful, actually. _

_ But it's totally not like Claire to do that. That's not the kind of person she is. _

_ I hope she's okay. _

**Author's Note:**

> WHO'S ~~NOT~~ READY FOR PART THREE???
> 
> [And here's the song that inspired the title, though you've probably already heard it](https://youtu.be/ghb6eDopW8I)


End file.
